On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

It was Cai Ming who pushed open the door.

He usually stayed by Nangong Xiong's side, and relying on the emperor's favor, he was a powerful figure in the harem.

But today, he looked extremely disheveled; his hat was askew, his eunuch robes were in disarray from running so fast, and his face was deathly pale.

Zhao Shuyu was somewhat displeased by his rash manner, but out of consideration for Nangong Xiong, she didn't say anything. She simply said indifferently, "Cai Ming! This is Jingren Palace, not your backyard."

Cai Ming didn't even have time to apologize; he rushed to her side and said...

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! We don't need to collect the treasures anymore, His Majesty... His Majesty is in trouble!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Zhao Shuyu's heart clenched suddenly. She grabbed the armrest of the phoenix chair and leaned forward.

"What nonsense are you spouting! His Majesty is simply waiting for the Prime Minister to deliver money in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, what could possibly happen?"

"The money's gone! All the donations the Prime Minister collected are gone!"

"What? You've finished your sentence! What exactly do you mean? What do you mean by 'completely gone'?"

Cai Ming said with a sob in his voice, "Lin Yi led the Shenji Battalion to ransack the Prime Minister's residence! More than three million taels of silver donated by the officials to His Majesty were all taken by him! Right now, they're dragging them all to the Prince's residence."

"What?!"

The concubines were terrified, some even covering their mouths and daring not to utter a sound.

Did Lin Yi raid the Prime Minister's residence?

They robbed three million taels of military funds?

How could he dare!

Zhao Shuyu felt her head buzzing and her vision went black.

What will happen to the loyalist army now that three million taels of silver are gone?

Without money, who will save the palace?

Who will come to kill Lin Yi?

"You...you say that again! Lin Yi is robbing people! Is Liu Wentao a dead man?! Why didn't he stop him?!"

Cai Ming said with a mournful face, "How could the Prime Minister dare to stop him? This time, the Regent Prince went there with an eight-ox crossbow, saying he would step over the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was so frightened that he rolled to the side and could only watch helplessly as his house was emptied."

"Hiss..." A collective gasp filled the hall.

Even the Prime Minister doesn't dare to interfere; Lin Yi truly holds absolute power in the capital now.

Consort Hui, trembling with fear, pointed at Cai Ming and asked, "And what about His Majesty? Does His Majesty know about this?"

Cai Ming nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"His Majesty heard about this and became so enraged that he vomited a large amount of blood and fainted on the spot! All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital are currently in the Hall of Mental Cultivation trying to save him!"

"What! His Majesty has vomited blood and fainted?" Zhao Shuyu exclaimed in shock, her body went limp, and she collapsed onto the phoenix chair.

If Lin Yi robbing her money only made her feel desperate, then Nangong Xiong vomiting blood and falling into a coma was like the sky falling down.

You must know that Nangong Xiong is the backbone of the entire palace and the only support for these women.

If anything were to happen to him, Lin Yi would definitely lead his troops into the palace immediately and kill them all.

The concubines in the main hall were completely panicked.

Some began to sob quietly, while others huddled together, trembling with fear.

"What are we going to do... If His Majesty doesn't wake up, we'll all die."

"That murderous tyrant Lin Yi dared to cripple even the First Prince and the Fourth Prince, he definitely won't let us off the hook."

"I don't want to die! I haven't even had my night with you yet..."

"I want to go back to my parents' home..."

The Jingren Palace was in complete chaos, with cries and shouts mingling together, making one's heart pound.

Yang Siyu stood in the corner, his face equally pale.

Although she hated Nangong Xiong for pushing her daughter into the fire, she also knew that Nangong Xiong could not die now.

Because he was alive, Lin Yi still had some reservations, but if he died, the Great Zhou would be in complete chaos.

Zhao Shuyu sat on the phoenix chair, knowing that she could not panic and had to stabilize the situation.

"Shut up, all of you!"

The concubines were intimidated by her imposing manner and gradually stopped crying, but they still looked at her with terrified eyes.

Zhao Shuyu stared at Cai Ming and asked, "What did the imperial physician say?"

"The Imperial Physician has already administered acupuncture to His Majesty and said that his heart meridian has been preserved. However, His Majesty is currently extremely weak and must rest quietly. He absolutely cannot be subjected to any further stimulation. Chief Eunuch Sun sent me to inform the Empress that the women of the inner palace should behave themselves and not cause any trouble at this time."

"Yes, it's good that His Majesty is alright." Zhao Shuyu nodded, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

As long as a person is alive, there is still hope.

Cai Ming continued, "Chief Steward Sun also said that His Majesty cannot be separated from his body now. The imperial physician said that several concubines are needed to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to attend to His Majesty day and night."

To care for someone who is ill?

Upon hearing these two words, the concubines who had been crying just moments before all lowered their heads, none daring to look at Zhao Shuyu.

Serving the sick in the Hall of Mental Cultivation is not a pleasant task.

Nangong Xiong is currently in a bad mood. If he wakes up and finds that the money is gone, he will definitely take his anger out on the people around him.

At best, they would be beaten and scolded; at worst, they would be beheaded.

Moreover, the Hall of Mental Cultivation is currently the eye of the storm; who can be sure that Lin Yi won't suddenly send someone to rush in?

Zhao Shuyu glanced at the women who were pretending to be deaf and dumb, and sneered inwardly.

Actually, she didn't want to go either.

As the biological mother of the eldest prince, Nangong Xiong had always harbored resentment over the eldest prince's deposition.

If she goes, and Nangong Xiong takes his anger out on her, how can she remain the empress?

So we have to find a scapegoat.

Zhao Shuyu's gaze swept around the main hall before finally landing on Yang Siyu.

"Consort, everyone was donating money for His Majesty just now, and you contributed the least. Now that His Majesty is ill and needs someone to care for him, shouldn't you, as a consort, be the first to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to show your filial piety?"

Yang Siyu was so frightened that he took a step back.

This woman is clearly trying to shift the blame.

Nangong Xiong is a powder keg right now; whoever goes there will be in trouble, so he quickly declined.

"Your Majesty, I am clumsy and afraid I will not be able to serve His Majesty well. Please arrange for a few more attentive younger sisters to go instead."

Zhao Shuyu's face darkened: "Insolence! Yang Siyu, are you defying an imperial decree?!"

"I am the Empress, and I have the final say in matters of the harem. If I tell you to go, you must go! Your daughter married Lin Yi, and now Lin Yi has angered His Majesty to the point of vomiting blood. As his mother-in-law, shouldn't you go before His Majesty to apologize?"

Zhao Shuyu directly shifted the blame for Lin Yi's robbery onto Yang Siyu.

Upon hearing this, the other concubines quickly joined in the commotion.

"That's right, Your Highness, this matter arose because of your daughter. If you don't go, who will?"

"Your daughter is enjoying a life of luxury outside, while you, in the palace, are unwilling to even attend to her when she is ill. What are you up to!"

"The Empress is right, the Imperial Concubine should go."

Yang Siyu knew he couldn't escape today.

Zhao Shuyu used the moral high ground to pressure her; if she refused again, she could simply accuse herself of a serious offense of disrespect.

In the end, it all comes down to death.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I obey your command."

"Hehehe, that's more like it. Consort, hurry back and pack your things, then head to the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately. Remember, you must serve His Majesty well. If anything happens to His Majesty, I will hold you responsible!"

Zhao Shuyu truly lived up to her reputation as a champion of palace intrigue. Not only did she force Yang Siyu to attend to her when he was ill, she also pushed the responsibility for Nangong Xiong's life and death onto her.

The latter felt a pang of sorrow and turned to the palace maid, saying, "Put the box away, let's go."

"Hmm!" The palace maid picked up the mahogany box that had just been moved and followed Yang Siyu out of Jingren Palace.

At that moment, Zhao Shuyu felt incredibly happy.

So what if Lin Yi is powerful? Your mother-in-law is in the palace, and I can do whatever I want with her.

As long as Nangong Xiong is alive, I will always be the master of the harem.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone, go back and keep an eye on your own people in your palaces. Anyone who dares to gossip will not be spared!" With that, Zhao Shuyu waved her hand, dismissing the other concubines.

The concubines felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly bowed and took their leave, except for one person who did not leave.

Consort Hui.